Walk-Off Win Clinches Empire 8 Regular Season Title for Ithaca Softball
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca softball team (25-9, 12-2 Empire 8) dramatically clinched the Empire 8 regular-season title with a last-inning win to complete a sweep of a conference doubleheader against visiting St. John Fisher (25-11, 9-5 Empire 8) Saturday evening at Kostrinsky Field. Ithaca will host the Empire 8 Championship Tournament next weekend. The Bombers rallied for a 9-4 win in the first game and then scored two runs in the bottom of the last inning to pull out a 2-1 win in the second game.
Ithaca travels to Buffalo State for a 1 p.m. Sunday doubleheader.
#28 ITHACA 9, St. John Fisher 4 |
Box Score
Ithaca broke open a close game with three runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth inning to take the opening game. Ithaca slugged a season-best 14 hits and four players had multi-hit games.
Freshman Rachel Dell'Orto (East Islip/East Islip) was 3-for-4 in the game with two runs scored and three RBIs. She delivered a key single in the fifth-inning rally that tied the score 4-4 and then started the rally in the sixth with a hard single up the middle. Senior designated player Kerry Barger (Carmel/Carmel) was 3-for-4 and scored two runs.
Sophomore Carianne D'Alessandro (Bridgewater-Raritan/Bound Brook, N.J.) gave Ithaca the lead with a crucial two-out hit that brought in two runs in the bottom of the fifth. She was 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the game. Senior Britt Lillie (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Mendon) had two hits, both doubles.
Senior Allison Greaney (John F. Kennedy/Iselin, N.J.) earned her 10th win of the season (10-3) in the circle. She pitched a complete game and all four St. John Fisher runs were unearned. Greaney allowed seven hits and struck out two.
St. John Fisher 1, #28 ITHACA 0 |
Box Score
Ithaca managed just three hits through the first six innings, then strung together three hits in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with a victory that clinched the Empire 8 regular-season title. Sophomore Jennifer Biondi (Morris Knolls/Rockaway, N.J.) laced a double in the left-center gap that brought in the decisive runs. The seventh-inning rally started with a pinch-hit single by sophomore Molly O'Donnell (Niskayuna/Niskayuna) and continued with a bunt hit by sophomore Adrienne Walters (Solon/Solon, Ohio) – her second bunt single of the game.
Freshman Jillian Olmstead (Caesar Rodney/Magnolia, Del.) pitched effectively to earn the victory. She allowed six hits and one run over seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk, and is now 6-3 on the year.
Dell'Orto and senior Kait Dolan (Victor/Farmington) added singles for the Bombers.